1. Field
The present invention relates generally to wireless power. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and devices for selectively switching between a wireless power mode and a near-field communication mode.
2. Background
Approaches are being developed that use over the air power transmission between a transmitter and the device to be charged. These generally fall into two categories. One is based on the coupling of plane wave radiation (also called far-field radiation) between a transmit antenna and receive antenna on the device to be charged which collects the radiated power and rectifies it for charging the battery. Antennas are generally of resonant length in order to improve the coupling efficiency. This approach suffers from the fact that the power coupling falls off quickly with distance between the antennas. So charging over reasonable distances (e.g., >1-2 m) becomes difficult. Additionally, since the system radiates plane waves, unintentional radiation can interfere with other systems if not properly controlled through filtering.
Other approaches are based on inductive coupling between a transmit antenna embedded, for example, in a “charging” mat or surface and a receive antenna plus a rectifying circuit embedded in the host device to be charged. This approach has the disadvantage that the spacing between transmit and receive antennas must be very close (e.g. mms). Though this approach does have the capability to simultaneously charge multiple devices in the same area, this area is typically small, hence the user must locate the devices to a specific area.
As will be appreciated by a person having ordinary skill in the art, electronic devices may be configured to transmit and/or receive data via near-field communication (NFC). For example, a device may be configured to communicate with an electronic reader, such as an “Oyster Card” reader. Via NFC, an electronic device may make a payment, gain access through a barrier, or a combination thereof.
A need exists for methods and devices for enabling wireless power and NFC functionality to coexist in an electronic device.